Holocene aeolian dynamics in the European sand‐belt as indicated by geochronological data

Aeolian sands are widespread in the European sand‐belt. While there is a consensus about the timing of increased aeolian activity and, in contrast, of surface stabilization during the Lateglacial, knowledge about Holocene aeolian dynamics is still very sparse. It is generally assumed that aeolian processes have been closely connected to human activities since at least the Neolithic period. A compilation of 189 luminescence dates from aeolian sands of Holocene age and 301 ¹⁴C‐dates from palaeo‐surfaces, comprising palaeosols, buried peats and archaeological features from the whole sand‐belt, is plotted as histograms and kernel density plots and divided into sub‐phases by cluster analysis. This is also done separately for the dates from the areas west and east of the river Elbe. Our results show that aeolian activity did not cease with the end of the Younger Dryas but continued in the whole European sand‐belt until the Mid‐Atlantic (c. 6500 a BP), presenting evidence of vegetation‐free areas at least at the local scale. During the subsequent time period evidence of aeolian sedimentation is sparse, and surface stabilization is indicated by a cluster of palaeo‐surfaces ascribed to the early Subboreal (c. 5000 cal. a BP). The agglomeration of luminescence ages around 4000 years is probably connected with intensified land use during the Late Neolithic. Younger phases of aeolian sedimentation are indicated by clusters of luminescence ages around 1800 years, a group of luminescence ages from the Netherlands and NW Germany around 900 years, and a group of ages around 680 years in Germany. Among the dates from palaeo‐surfaces, clusters were identified around 2700, 1300 and 900 cal. a BP as well as around 690 cal. a BP in the western part and 610 cal. a BP in the eastern part of the sand‐belt. The clusters within the luminescence ages and the ¹⁴C‐dates coincide with phases where increased human impact can be deduced from archaeological and historical sources as well as from environmental history.